Parade marks 45 years of Bangladesh’s 1971 victory

Members of the armed forces have saluted President Abdul Hamid at the parade marking 45 years of Bangladesh’s victory against Pakistan.

A contingent of freedom fighters, armed forces and security forces took part in the colourful parade at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Friday.

The ceremony at the National Parade ground was aired live on BTV.

The president arrived around 10am and was greeted by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and heads of the three forces.

Army, Navy, Air Forces, BNCC, BGB, Police, RAB, Ansar, VDP, Coast Guard, Fire Service and Civil Defence Force participated in the parade, organised by the 9th Infantry Division of the army.

The president inspected the parade and took salutes from an army jeep.

Thousands of people from various walks of life enjoyed the two-hour long parade.

The nation began its armed struggle against the occupation of Pakistani forces on March 26, 1971 and won its victory on Dec 16.

On this day in 1971, Pakistan Army's Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi formally surrendered along with some 93,000 soldiers to Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora, General Officer Commanding in Chief of the allied forces of the Mukti Bahini and Indian Army, at the Race Course in Dhaka, and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was born.